OneErased Reading Motivation and Accountability

Goal #5

Author: Jonathan Stroud
Book: The Golem's Eye
Series: The Bartimaeus trilogy
Goal: June 18th (~43 pages/day)

Having just finished the first book of the trilogy way ahead of time, I decided to challenge myself for real. I'll try and finish the entire trilogy within the month of June. Starting tomorrow, the middle way towards that is the 18th, so I'll try and read this book by that time. The first book was pretty quick to read, so 43 pages shouldn't be too bad for a day, especially when I have no job or anything that really would occupy my days anymore. So, we'll see tomorrow how it's going. I'm real curious to continue reading it, taken I really liked the characters in the first book. 

SYNOPSIS

The second adventure in the Bartimaeus trilogy finds Nathaniel working his way up the ranks of the government, when crisis hits. A seemingly invulnerable clay golem is making random attacks on London. Nathaniel and Bartimaeus must travel to Prague to discover the source of the golem's power.

Goal #6

Author: Jonathan Stroud
Book: Ptolemy's Gate
Series: The Bartimaeus trilogy
Goal: June 30 (~33 pages/day)

The story's definitely going along in an interesting way, and I'm looking forward to starting this one to see where it all leads to. Some character arches especially are interesting, to see how they will end up. If I start the book today, it'll be about 33 pages until the end of the month, but we'll see. It should be ok tho, taken I read the second book in under two weeks. The story definitely gets your attention, so setting the books down can be a bit tough at times. 

SYNOPSIS

Nathaniel 17 treats Bartimaeus worse than ever. The long-suffering djinni is weak from too much time in this world, near the end of his patience. Rebel Kitty 18 hides, stealthily finishing her research on magic, demons, and Bartimaeus. She has a daring plan that she hopes will break the endless cycle of conflict between djinn and humans. But will anyone listen to what she has to say? Together the trio face treacherous magicians, a complex conspiracy, and a rebellious faction of demons. To survive, they must test the limits of this world and question the deepest parts of themselves. 

@OneErased have you read Ender's game?

Goal #7

Author: Anchee Min
Book: Becoming Madame Mao
Goal: July 15th (~19 pages/day) 

From an epic young adult fantasy thriller, I jump to a historical fiction book. Which I don't mind this time around, it's actually nice I get something completely different to read after something I liked a lot. Historical books aren't usually my favs, but I've been positively surprised before, so it's at least worth a shot. If I start today, it'd be 19 pages a day to reach the goal, but I might take the rest of the week off. Shouldn't set me too much back. 

SYNOPSIS
From the author of the international bestseller, Red Azalea, comes the stirring, croucally charged story of the woman known as 'the white-boned demon' - the ambitious wife of Chairman Mao whose actions led to the death of millions in the Cultural Revolatuion. From the young, unwanted daughter of a concubine, defiant in her refusal to have her feet bound, to the wayward, beautiful actress on the stages of Shanghai, to the ruthless, charismatic partner of the great revolutionary, Mao Zedong, Anchee Min moves seamlessly from the intimately personal to the broad sweep of world history in this fascinating portrait of an extraordinary woman driven by ambition, betrayal and a desperate need to be loved. Finely nuanced and always ambiguous, Min penetrates the myth surrounding Madame Mao with passion and sensitivity to paint a surprising picture of one of history's most vilified women. Rich with compressed drama and all the lyrical poetry of great opera, Becoming Madame Mao is a startling and moving achievement. 

Goal #8

Author: Sebastian Fitzek
Book: Therapy (Original German title: Die Therapie)
Goal: July 15th (~22 pages/day) 

Since the book I picked for this #8 slot had pages missing, I had to skip it and go to the next one. So, we'll head to the psychological thriller category. Which is more me, along with horror, I gotta add. It's not a long book and I actually finished 50 pages today, so I got way ahead on the first day. It's been weird but interesting so far. 

SYNOPSIS
No witnesses, no evidence, no body: Star psychologist Viktor Larenz's twelve-year-old daughter, Josy, who had suffered from an inexplicable illness, has vanished under mysterious circumstances during a visit to her doctor, and the investigation into her disappearance has brought no results. Four years later, Viktor remains a man shattered by this tragedy. He has retreated to a remote vacation cottage on a North Sea island, where a beautiful stranger named Anna Glass pays him a visit. She claims to be a novelist who suffers from an unusual form of schizophrenia: all the characters she creates for her books become real. While writing her most recent novel, Anna has been tortured by visions of a little girl with an unknown illness who has vanished without a trace, and she asks Dr. Larenz to treat her. Viktor reluctantly begins therapy sessions with the stranger, but very soon these sessions take a dramatic turn as the past is dragged back into the light. What really happened to Josy? Do Anna's delusions describe Josy's last days? And is Larenz a danger to himself and others? 

Therapy is an absolutely gripping psychological thriller, an intelligent, fast and furious read that will stay with you for a long time after you have followed Viktor into the depths of his own psyche, and have figured out who Anna Glass really is. 

Goal #9

Author: Mats Strandberg
Book: The Conference [original Swedish title: Konferensen]
Goal: July 17th (~39 pages/day) 

I got this book quite a while ago but never read it for some reason. The reviews aren't really that positive, for a thriller. Most of them say it's all gore and horrific scenes, with no plot. That said, I never trust reviews, so I wanna read it. I've read one book from the author, The Home, and I liked how he writes characters. There's a lot of them in this book, which becomes confusing for me real quick, but it's worth a shot at least. The goal is a tight one, but with the amount I've been reading, it should be ok. Not that it's the end of the world if I don't make it anyway, taken how much I've read lately. 

SYNOPSIS

A group of municipal employees arrive at a picturesque conference center, situated by the lake Kolarsjön at the foot of a mountain. They are there to discuss a controversial project that has angered many, both in the small town and among the employees themselves. What they don't know is that someone is watching them from the other side of the lake. Someone who wants revenge. And when darkness starts to fall, they begin to disappear - one by one. 

The Conference is a blood soaked thriller about the worst teambuilding exercise you could possibly imagine. It's about the people we have not chosen, but spend most of our waking time with: our colleagues. 

Mats Strandberg is a master of bringing characters to life (and death), as well as portraying a part of Swedish society going through massive upheavals. 

@OneErased  What was the last book you read?

Goal #10

Author: James Bowen
Book: A Street Cat Named Bob
Goal: July 31st (~19 pages/day) 

A nurse brought me some books to read, thanks to my partner's dad asking around. I've read this Bob cat series before so it should be a quick read - not that long and I have the notes already from my previous read. I can relate to some of the problems the author went through, addiction and everything, so it should still be an interesting read. I have three of the books here so we'll see how far I get with them while here. C

Apparently my phone won't let me make the cover pic smaller so we all gotta deal with it. 

SYNOPSIS

The uplifting true story of an unlikely friendship between a man on the streets of Covent Garden and the ginger cat who adopts him and helps him heal his life. 

When James Bowen found an injured, ginger street cat curled up in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change. James was living hand to mouth on the streets of London and the last thing he needed was a pet.

Yet James couldn't resist helping the strikingly intelligent tom cat, whom he quickly christened Bob. He slowly nursed Bob back to health and then sent the cat on his way, imagining he would never see him again. But Bob had other ideas.

Soon the two were inseparable and their diverse, comic and occasionally dangerous adventures would transform both their lives, slowly healing the scars of each other's troubled pasts.

A Street Cat Named Bob is a moving and uplifting story that will touch the heart of anyone who reads it.

Goal #11

Author: James Bowen
Book: The World According to Bob
Goal: July 27th (~38 pages/day) 

It seems like I'm spending the rest of the month in the hospital, unless something comes up. So, I kinda decided to try finish the three books I got in that time. So, I set the next goal for the end of the week, since it took me 3 days to read the last book. The third one is a lot shorter so should still have enough time for it. Not the type of books I usually read, but there's interesting parts. Better than just staring at the screen, at least. 

SYNOPSIS

James and his street cat Bob have been on a remarkable journey together. In the years since their story ended in the bestselling A Street Cat Named Bob, James, with Bob's help, has begun to find his way back to the real world. 

Almost every day, Bob provides moments of intelligence, bravery and humour, at the same time opening his human friend's eyes to important truths about friendship, loyalty, trust - and the meaning of happiness. In The World According to Bob, the continuing tale of their life together, James shows the many ways in which Bob has been his protector and guardian angel through times of illness, hardship, even life-threatening danger. 

As they high five together for their crowds of admirers, James knows that the tricks he's taught Bob are nothing compared to the lessons he's learnt from his street-wise cat. 

Goal #12

Author: James Bowen
Book: A Gift from Bob
Goal: July 28th (~40 pages/day) 

This one's a short book, so I'll most likely finish it in a couple of days. There's a lot of stuff I can relate on them, with the homelessness and addiction themes. Wish I had had a Bob back then, but we all take our own paths out. 

SYNOPSIS

In this poignant new story, A Gift from Bob, James Bowen recalls the last Christmas he was to spend on the streets, busking and selling the Big Issue with his cat Bob. 

In 2010, the weather was as bleak as his prospects. Christmas had always been the time he dreaded. Now at least he had Bob by his side, but his health was poor, and he had no money for food or warmth. There was no choice but to venture out onto the frozen streets to earn enough to pay for his electricity and - with luck - to afford some small treats for Christmas as well. 

What James learned through this toughest of times was to give his new life with Bob - and Christmas - a meaning it had never had before.